Bob doesn't do anything on a small scale. We had a very very old meat slicer which we used 2-3 times per year. It broke. Actually the motor died. Bob spent 2 weeks trying to rebuild the motor but finally gave up and started shopping for a new one. He bought one that is HUGE! It's too big to lift on and off the counter!! So we had to buy a cart for the slicer. Then we had to build an addition onto the house for the cart...!!!!!!....Just kidding. Bob has a big closet in his office and the cart gets wheeled in there when the slicer isn't being used. I know you're thinking, "Can't you buy deli meat already sliced?"  And the answer is, "Yes you can but that isn't nearly as much fun."

I pulled up a giant weed this morning. On the underside of a leaf I saw teeny tiny ladybugs that had just hastched. It was fascinating to watch the little ones coming out of their eggs and crawl around. After watching them for a while I gently put the entire leaf next to my tomato plants. I thought that might be a nice place for the ladybugs to grow up. 

It's summer! It's pool season! It's hot outside! During this time of year I love to sit outside and read. I bought the book in the picture above at the Dollar Store. It was such a good book and worth every cent of the $1.00. The story was non fiction and about a woman who is an editor at Harlequin Books. She had never found love herself but had many adventures in her pursuit to find the perfect mate. It was enchanting!

I've had a hard time loading photos onto this blog. I've worked on this almost everyday. Today I finally figured it out but I really don't know what I did today that was different from yesterday. Anyway, now I have pictures to add and stories to tell.  

I'm thinking about making deviled eggs today. This reminded me of a deviled egg I saw at a delicatessen 3 years ago. Look at the picture!!! That is not a normal deviled egg! I am going to guess that it took at least 5 yolks to make that yellow ball.

My deviled eggs will be normal sized and delicious. 

 Last week we went to a funeral in Chicago. On the way home we stopped to see Leah at Purdue. We got a tour of the lab where she works. She loves the opportunity she has been given to do research in the neuro biology department. She breeds zebra fish and then does research on them. It's very complicated but the ultimate goal is to discover the connections between birth, neurons and blindness. Don't quote me because I'm just the mom! I'm a good listener but I don't understand the entire process. It was fun to see Leah in action and she loves what she is doing.

I can do lunch!

After such a great evening on Friday, we had big plans for Saturday too. But the morning flew by and we changed our plans completely opting to have lunch at our house. I have to say I can throw together a meal that my grandmother would definitely be proud of!  Being prepared is the key plus I have some great serving pieces to pull any meal together. We had crusty bread with two kinds of salami and cheese plus a salad with blue cheese, steak and sun dried tomatoes. I also laid out a nice tray of pickles, hummus and pita chips, strawberries and goat cheese with fig jam. It was beautiful if I do say so myself!! 

Primo and Mary joined us for lunch. They have known Bill since he was in grade school. 

Our old friends, Bill and Pam, came from Chicago for a visit on Friday.

We always have so much fun together. We had dinner at St. Elmo's (Aunt Ruth and Uncle Jim: It's like Houston's!) Then we went to hear David Feherty the golf comedian. He was so funny! And if our evening hadn't already been fun enough, we also got to watch the Chanel 8 news right in the newsroom.

The boy who grew up with Pam and Bill's son is now the sports announcer for WISHTV Chanel 8 in Indy. He gave us a tour before he went on the air for the 11:00 news. Then we watched them announce the news. It was so interesting and something we had never seen before!

We had a very nice Memorial Day weekend in Indiana.  The Indy 500 race is the most anticipated event but we did not go. For me it's a "once and done" kind of thing. I have been and had a great time but I don't need to do it again.

Leah and Jenn were both home. Of course Maria is always here along with Primo and Nary. That means each meal is festive with 7 people around the table.

Jenn drove home from Kentucky but Leah doesn't have a car at Purdue so I volunteered to pick her up. When we got home the house smelled like a pizzeria! Bob had made 3 batches of pizza dough and whipped up thin crust and deep dish pizzas. One pizza even had eggplant on it. Delicious!


The girls helped Bob build a wall at his mom and dad's house. I will post more pictures this week. The wall isn't all the way finished but it is definitely beautiful!

Bob made BBQ chicken. That meal was super. He uses a dry rub on the chicken first. That, combined with my homemade BBQ sauce makes for a delicious main dish.

I tried a new potato salad recipe which we will never eat again. It was horrible! It looked pretty but tasted yucky. My dessert was the most exciting part. I made and old fashioned jello poke cake. It was delicious!!!

 We also went to the Chinese restaurant I talked about in an earlier post. It was fun to be together!!! The best part of the weekend was the Memorial Day celebration at our church. It was ver patriotic with lots of music, Mass, the Knights of Columbus, a 21 gun salute by the American Legion, taps and a reception. We appreciate Primo's service in the Navy in WW2 and take every opportunity to honor him!